


Only Want You

by CrashHale



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Issues, Feelings Realization, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Light Angst, Slow Burn of a not so Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:29:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 19,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21706768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrashHale/pseuds/CrashHale
Summary: Jughead is blown away by Veronica’s interest in him. She’s a sophisticated socialite from New York City and he’s just a poor kid from a random town. He almost can’t believe his luck.Betty’s always had a crush on Reggie, the popular quarterback and playboy of the school. He never noticed her until now, now that she’s filling out as a woman and has allowed Polly to give her a makeover. It seems she’s finally getting what she always wanted.The only problem is, neither of them have any experience. So, Betty and Jughead strike a deal - to get all of the awkward firsts out of the way with each other before going to the people they really want to be with.What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Reggie Mantle (minor), Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge (minor)
Comments: 377
Kudos: 522
Collections: 7th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I only have a few chapters of this written, but I will try to write more, just a warning it won't have scheduled updates.
> 
> Also, I'll add more tags as I think of them. I really can't think of any right now.

Sitting at her usual booth, Betty took a quick break and stretched, letting her limbs crackle and pop after spending too much time in the same position. Her eyes drifted from her laptop and outside into the well lit parking lot. Jughead was supposed to be here by now, they were meeting for dinner while they worked on the paper, like they had many times in the past. He wasn’t often late.

When her eyes caught his figure in the middle of the lot, she smiled at the sight. He’d been held up by Veronica, the new girl at their school from New York City. The two of them were talking, all of Jughead’s attention on the brunette as she smiled kindly at whatever it was he was saying. It was strange seeing Jughead with a girl, he’d never shown interest in anyone before. 

Jughead was one of those people who knew exactly who they were and didn’t apologize for it. Unlike Betty, who was anxious with every move she made and had been lusting over the same boy for years, a boy who not so long ago didn’t even know she existed.

Thinking about Reggie, she let her gaze wander away from Jughead to the most popular boy in school. Reggie was sitting with some football buddies at the other end of the diner, the group the loudest inside the establishment. She was used to it by now, it was a familiar sound, comforting in the background.

When the bell chimed and Jughead walked in, heading straight to her, she sat up taller and greeted him, his smile contagious.

“What?” he asked, his smile quickly turning to a frown, probably wondering why she too was smiling like a fool.

“Nothing,” she shrugged innocently.

Jughead got his laptop out and gave her another curious stare. “ _ What? _ ” he asked again, never one to let anything go.

“Just think it’s funny how, after all these years of knowing you, Veronica’s the only one that can make you smile that way… It’s nice… a bit creepy, like in a stalker kind of way… but still nice,” she said jokingly. She liked how she could say anything to Jughead without fear of saying the wrong thing. He was just about the only person she felt this free around.

He gave her an easy death stare, making her giggle and sip at her strawberry milkshake. 

“You think you can keep up with someone like her?” she asked, looking at him over the top of their laptops.

Jughead  _ was _ handsome if she was really looking. He was tall and slender, his features so perfect they could be found in a magazine, his eyes dark blue orbs of swirling emotions, his hair wild in that sexy way she sometimes read about in trashy romance novels she’d never admit to reading. But since he didn’t care about fitting in or conforming to what anyone else wanted him to be, he kind of fell to the sidelines and no one tried with him.

“I know she’s out of my league,” he said, looking out of the window as if he was remembering their interaction from only moments ago, “but you know I don’t care about all that shit,”

She pressed her lips together tightly, feeling her eyebrow arch as she looked back down at her laptop screen so as not to say what she was really thinking. But she could tell he saw anyway, her peripherals picking up another one of his death stares.

“Spit it out, Cooper,” he said with a dark and warning tone.

She was sorry she had started this, but she had, so she took a deep breath as she looked at him again, her eyes glancing at his lips. “Have you ever even kissed anyone before?”

She was a hypocrite for asking, considering what her own answer to that very same question would be.

Jughead’s eyebrows pulled together, and just as his lips opened softly, ready to speak, the noises from behind him distracted them both, Jughead turning at the sound and Betty looking around him.

Reggie and his buddies were getting up to leave, saying goodbye to some other students who were there and heading to the front door. She felt her heart beat faster with excitement and her cheeks flush warmly at the attention when Reggie looked their way, lifting up a hand in goodbye.

“Later, Betty!” he winked, the boys stepping out and leaving the diner quieter after the ding of the bell.

She watched through the window as they high fived about something and all headed to their cars. The fuzzy feeling inside her was nice at the same time as being unwelcome. It made her nevourse the way Reggie was all of a sudden noticing her.

She was still thinking about it when her eyes met Jughead’s again, a wave of shock replacing whatever she was feeling before. She knew exactly what he was going to say before he even opened his smiling mouth.

“Is ‘illiterate ken doll’ the reason you’re…”

She narrowed her eyes at his implication but it did nothing to prevent him from continuing.

“Is he the reason you’ve… gotten a makeover?”

Betty’s older sister Polly had recently succeeded in getting Betty to redo her wardrobe and begin wearing makeup. Up until recently she’d only warn jeans, sweaters, and t-shirts, but after the shopping spree which her mother had so generously funded, she was adding a lot more variety into the mix - cute skirts and sundresses, flowy shirts and fun shorts. 

She felt more comfortable with this mini makeover than she expected. The makeup was light, Polly promising it was only to accentuate her already pretty features. She was right, with the new and improved look Betty was actually feeling more like herself, like the windows to her true self were a little more open to others.

And best of all, Reggie Mantle had noticed. She was happier than she had been in a long time, still anxious but excited to move into womanhood.

“Of course not,” she finally replied, sounding far too defensive. “My sister was begging to redo my closet, so I let her,”

Jughead nodded like he didn’t believe her for a second, and she  _ hated _ it.

“Stop changing the subject,” she said, being snappy. “This is about you and Veronica Lodge. What do you think, that you have an actual chance with her? She’d probably been with a dozen guys.” The truth was that Betty envied Veronica’s confidence and probable experience. She wished she knew how to talk to Reggie without being a bundle of nervous, ready to crack at any second.

“And what about you? You think Reggie actually likes you?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

She gasped lightly. “I never said he likes me. He’s nice, he’s  _ being _ nice,”

Jughead laughed, sitting back as if he was done with this conversation. “Yeah, he’s nice because he wants to get up your skirt… now that you’re actually wearing one,”

She tried not to gasp again at the implication, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of getting to her. Truth was, the reason it offended her so much was because she was ready to explore that part of herself, but it was just so terrifying.

“You think I don’t have a chance with Veronica because I’m a virgin and she probably isn’t… All I’m saying is that that’s rich coming from you - Miss Perfect Good Girl. What do you think it’s going to be like when he expects to go all the way and you’re freaking out because you’ve never done anything, huh?” he asked, being harsher than she expected. “You’re never going to get passed the first date. Guys like Reggie expect everything, and I’m sorry to say, princess, you just can’t deliver.”

“So what do you suggest?” she asked angrily, honestly just wanting to punch him in his stupid know it all face.

The tension between them suddenly dropped. The contrast between Betty’s pent up rigid body and Jughead’s fully relaxed one was odd and made her feel even more uneasy.

He shrugged and gave only a hint of a smirk. Betty’s face burned before he even spoke the words.

“Maybe we can help each other out,”

And just like that, in their regular booth at Pop’s, a deal was struck.


	2. Chapter 2

Jughead couldn’t believe she went for it. Betty, the most perfect person he knew, had actually agreed to his absurd plan. He was thankful to her, of course, he too didn’t have much experience, but he was still more shocked than anything.

He watched her pace her overly pink room, sitting on the plush double bed and trying not to laugh at her nervous rambling.

“No one can know about this,” she said.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he assured, but he was sure she didn’t even hear him.

It was amusing how nervous she was. It was only him, she didn’t need to be nervous. They knew everything about each other and were only doing this because of that closeness their friendship had allowed.

Jughead didn’t care what anyone else in school though, that’s why he was just as surprised as Betty at the intense interest Veronica had brought with her from New York City. She was beautiful in a way no one in a small town like Riverdale was, and for some odd reason she was interested in  _ him _ . 

No one was interested in him. The only reason he’d even kissed the few girls he had was because of too much alcohol at stupid house parties thrown by none other than Reggie Mantle, the boy who Betty was now rambling about.

He thought about throwing a comment in about Reggie, but he knew it would probably piss Betty off, so he just waited patiently until she plopped down on the bed next to him and sighed.

“It’s stupid that I’m nervous,”

“Not really,” he shrugged. He’d been nervous too, his first time kissing someone, and he was nervous now to kiss her, he was just better at hiding it than she was. “You don’t have to worry though, I’m not going to judge you,”

She smiled, although worry was still etched into her brow. He reached his hand up and rubbed at the crease with his thumb. 

All was quiet now that neither of them were talking, so he took the opening to position his hand a little lower, over her cheek and jaw, glancing down and just now noticing the plumpness of her pink lips.

“Everything’s okay,” he whispered, proud of himself for keeping this respectful, and finally leaned all the way in, pressing his lips lightly against hers.

He held them there for a moment, before moving only slightly back to see the smile on her face, her green eyes looking lazily into his.

He returned the smile, moving back in for a longer kiss, gently moving his lips, deepening it slowly when she followed his lead.

He let her get used to the action, finding something new in it himself, a deeper connection than he’d ever had with anyone else, then dared lick her lower lip for permission.

She granted it, and so the warmth continued to spread, both taking their time as their mouths met in a soft, intimate dance. 

When they finally moved back, still seated next to each other on her bed, he loved the way she looked so blissful at experiencing something new.

“Did I do it right?” she asked lowly, and this time he couldn’t hide his smile of amusement.

“Yeah, you did it right,”

She blushed. “I… don’t have anything to compare it to, but… you’re a good kisser,”

“I told you I wasn’t a complete loser,” he winked, bringing a bigger smile to her face.

He was glad she didn’t seem nervous anymore. He took the chance to give her another kiss, deepening it still and moving a bit faster.

She was a good kisser too.

“Jug,” she whispered after a breath. “I’m ah… I don’t think I’m ready for… anything else tonight,” she told him. “I’m sorry, I know we said-”

He shook his head and took over so she wouldn’t be embarrassed. “We made a deal to practice on each other… let’s just practice kissing tonight, cool?”

She nodded.

He smiled. “Come on, let’s lay down.”

They got situated on her bed, facing each other as they lay on their sides. It was incredible how comfortable this felt. He was having a nice time, and in the moment he pulled her in for a makeout session, he completely forgot he was doing this for Veronica.

Betty’s body felt so nice and soft against him, her scent taking over his senses in the best way. When his lips wandered down her jaw and neck she whimpered ever so lightly, the sound making him realize he was aroused. Like  _ really _ aroused. 

He shifted them so he could climb on top, capturing her lips again. He tried not to grind his erection into her, not wanting to scare her, but god he was so hard. Yes, he’d kissed a few people, but he’d never had a full blown makeout session like he was with his friend right now. It was so much more fun than he thought it would be.

His favorite was the way she grabbed onto his hair every once in awhile, holding him closer. His lips hurt, but he didn’t want to stop.

Eventually though, things died down, more from exhaustion than his lack of enthusiasm, and she was bidding him goodbye at the window, where he had entered earlier in the night.

“Tomorrow? Same time?”

She nodded, biting her swollen lip, which was now red more than pink.

Back at the trailer he took a shower and relieved some of the tension their heavy makeout session had built up. Laying in bed and staring at the ceiling, he realized he was smiling like an idiot and even more strangely had been thinking of Betty the whole time.

He’d always thought she was pretty and just about the coolest person he knew, but it was never anything more than that.

His mood changing, he turned to his side and forced himself to think of Veronica, to keep his eyes on the prize. After he got some time in with Betty, he’d be ready for Veronica, no awkwardness and inexperience in his way.


	3. Chapter 3

The following day at school Betty walked the halls of Riverdale High with a new pair of rose tinted glasses. They were figurative, of course, and had been firmly in place since Jughead had left the night before. Everything just looked different today; better, happier, brighter. 

She said hello to a few friends in passing, with a quick, ‘I’ll see you at lunch’, before continuing to her locker. 

Jughead was at his locker, which wasn’t too far from hers, unloading some stuff for the day. He was the photographer for the school newspaper, so he always had his camera and equipment on him. Plus he did a lot of writing on his laptop as well. 

She began with her own things absentmindedly, thinking about last night and giving short glances his way. She couldn’t stop thinking about how invigorating what they had done was. It was just making out, but it was wonderful, and she couldn’t wait for more. Last night she had been nervous to begin but now she just couldn’t wait to continue.

She had never thought about doing what she did with Jughead, but it had been really nice, he was gentle yet also dominant enough to lead the night. She had needed that. She was glad she had done that with him, experiencing such an important first in her life. 

If she really thought about it, Jughead was one of her best friends, he knew her better than most people in her life and he was always honest. She could rely on him with the paper, he was just about the only student who really helped, and he cared about similar things. 

She jumped in surprise, getting ripped from her thoughts when someone said her name. She turned while taking a deep breath and trying to make it seem like they hadn’t startled her, but she was indeed surprised when she saw Reggie.

God, he was so handsome, and he had a fantastic smile.

“Oh, hi Reggie,” she beamed, back to reality now and realizing it was one she wanted to be in.

“How’s it going?” he asked, this air of cool and confidence around him everywhere he went.

He had a lot to be confident about. He was captain of the football team, very well liked, and just about the most perfect looking boy she’d ever seen. He wasn’t mean either, like some of the other jocks. Not that he went out of his way to be nice to everyone or anything. His family had money and were well respected in the community. He wasn’t the smartest kid in school but he also wasn’t as dumb as Jughead liked to joke he was. Reggie was going places. And being such a driven person herself, she liked that.

“It’s going,” she beamed up at him.

He nodded, giving her a quick look over, the action so quick before he was looking back into her eyes again that it didn’t make her uncomfortable. The opposite actually. She felt pretty.

“I just wanted to ask if you’re going to come to the away game to see us play next week?”

“Oh, um, yeah, I think Kev said something about going. I’ll probably ride with him,”

He nodded again. “Cool, cool,” he said calmly but something about him made her think he was happy with the answer he got.

“Well, maybe I’ll see you at the afterparty,” he offered, his handsome smile brighter still.

“Oh, there’s an afterparty?”

“Yeah, one of the guys from the other team is having it at his house. I’ll make sure you and Kev get the address. Everyone’s invited.”

“Great, thank you,” she said, sounding a little too chipper.

Reggie inviting her personally was definitely a good thing.

“Okay, great, it’ll be fun,”

She was nervous, but also excited, her heart thudding against her chest.

“Well, I gotta get to first period but it was cool chatting with you,”

“You too, Reg,” she said, meaning it. It wasn’t until recently that he even began talking to her, and it wasn’t too often one on one.

“Oh,” he smiled a little brighter, “you look really nice, by the way, I like your sweater,”

She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face and the way her cheeks got warm. Yes, she had been dressing a little cuter lately, but today she really did feel nice, and it was a big deal for her that he gave her such a nice compliment.

“Thank you,”

She was wearing a pair of Polly’s skinny jeans that she had given to Betty and the sweater was a soft pink slightly fluffy material that showed a little of her midriff. Betty never would have picked it out herself but she actually ended up liking it after trying it on. It was still her style, a sweater, but it was more form fitting and showed off her figure better than any of her old sweaters did.

With a final grin, he said, “See you later,” and was off.

She could hardly believe her luck, biting into her lip to try to hide the smile and calm the butterflies in her stomach.

As she turned to grab what she needed and to close her locker, she made eye contact with Jughead, and she had no idea what exactly it was that made all the butterflies suddenly drop dead into the pit of her stomach.

In a weird way, something felt wrong about what she had just done with Reggie, even though it was only innocent talking.

Jughead closed his locker with more force than was needed, and went in the opposite direction, not once turning back.

.

Later that night, after dinner with her parents and saying goodnight, she took a quick shower and got changed into a pair of cute pajamas, a light blue t-shirt and shorts, and began pacing her room waiting for Jughead.

He was on time, and when he was standing in her room the jittery feeling she had felt all day finally subsided. “You made it,” she said.

With slight amusement across his striking features he simply nodded his answer.

She was sure that her added confidence today had a lot to do with what they had done the night before, so she was eager to get started and see what another night with him would accomplish. She definitely wasn’t ready for sex, but she did feel more comfortable in her kissing abilities and had this sudden desire to touch and be touched. It was exhilarating.

“You okay?” he asked wearily, like she was acting strange or something.

She nodded, biting hard into her lip because her smile felt like it was only growing and she thought she probably must look like a crazy person.

“You should get comfortable,” she told him.

He frowned but proceeded to take off his leather jacket and step out of his boots. She had meant more like his jeans too, but she’d get to that. She watched as he ran his hand through his unruly hair and felt this warmth spread through her body, feeling her hands twitch to get in there too.

His hair was surprisingly soft, and she had really liked touching it while they kissed last night.

Just as she was about to step closer, he spoke. “So ah, I saw you speaking with Ken Doll this morning,”

She smiled easily and took the step towards him, bringing her hands up to his shoulders and continuing up until they were on the back of his head, grabbing gentle fistfulls of his lovely hair. She thought it was funny how he always made fun of Reggie’s good looks, because if you really thought about it, Jughead was tall, dark and handsome too - just a little more scrawny.

“Are you jealous?” she joked, pressing on her tiptoes so she could be closer.

She felt his hands on her waist and took it as an invite to press up closer.

“Of course not,” he simply said, but it did nothing to deter her from kissing him.

She let the kiss last longer than he probably expected, but pulled away just as she felt him letting go and giving in, his body ridgid before then. His eyes had also softened and she couldn’t help thinking he was just adorable. She liked being in control.

“I was thinking, my parents usually get up around 6:30, so if we set an alarm for 6, maybe you could stay the night,”

He seemed to think about it for a moment but then nodded like it was no big deal.

“Good,” she smiled, walking as if on clouds to her bed and sitting down on the edge. “Take your clothes off,”

His eyebrows shot up and she smiled as the look of shock turned to amusement on his face.

“You’ve sure changed your tune since last night,”

She shrugged. She was confident this was just between them and now that she knew how fun kissing was, she didn’t want to wait to kiss him some more.

She watched as he unbuckled his jeans, something about the act a lot sexier than she imagined it would be. He pushed his jeans down and stepped out of them. He had on black boxer briefs, which honestly surprised her a little because for some reason she expected shorts.

In the moment it took him to remove his t-shirt, she took a deep breath. Okay, so maybe he wasn’t as scrawny as Betty thought. Sure he wasn’t muscular and built like Reggie and the other football guys, but he looked nice. Slender and toned.

“Like what you see, Cooper?” he asked after a moment, cocky and she could have burst into flames if she let herself.

She rolled her eyes and got up, pulling her bedsheets back and inviting him in. Once they were both in her bed, she turned her lamp off and cupped his face, moving back in to kiss him, getting comfortable in the act and enjoying the feel of their bodies so close.

It also made her feel super confident that he was turned on, she had felt it last night too, but tonight she was more okay with it, not embarrassed. 

He moaned slightly when she shifted them from their sides so that she was on top, straddling his stomach and kissing him a little harder.

His hands were in her hair, and, feeling brave, she grabbed one of his forearms and pulled it out, guiding his hand to her breast, over the fabric of her t-shirt, moaning when he squeezed lightly.

She had no idea doing this with someone could feel so good. She felt hot and tingly and as he squeezed again, she shifted down slightly, rubbing herself gently against the hardness of his erection and feeling like those dead butterflies had burst back to life, only now all throughout her body and not just in her stomach.

“Fuck, Betty,” he breathed, their kiss breaking, his other hand moving from her hair to grab her waist.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her own breath labored.

She stopped the movement of her hips and looked down at him with worry. His arm wrapped around her waist tightly though, and he shook his head. “No, it’s okay,”

She smiled then, because she was sure it probably felt good for him too.

Feeling braver still, she took the hand that was still on her breast and pushed it up under her t-shirt, which was already riding up, the feel of his skin on hers all consuming, then moved in for another kiss.

She felt like she could kiss him forever. 


	4. Chapter 4

Betty was a rare combination of shy and brave, Jughead had always known that. She knew how to go after the things she wanted, she knew how to stand up for other people, yet she was also that sweet innocent girl that he had felt the need to protect in the past.

But right now, if anyone needed protecting, he felt like the one, completely at her mercy as she straddled his lap, underneath the covers of her bed, grinding against his impossibly hard erection.

Although touching her full and firm breast had been the highlight of the decade, he still had to stop after a moment, the combination of her kisses, her movements, and the way her skin felt under his touch, all too much.

This had definitely been a huge turn around from the previous evening. He understood she had been nervous, but much like everything, Betty was fantastic at kissing, and now she had the confidence to just jump right in.

He felt like the luckiest guy in the world right now, even though he was dangerously close to coming.

“Betty,” he managed to say between kisses, his voice more strained than ever.

She moaned, pulling back slightly to let him speak.

“I’m loving this whole dominate empowered woman thing,” She giggled and it was so damn sweet, “but I might do something embarrassing real soon if we don’t stop for a moment,” He could feel himself pulsing and was holding off climaxing in his boxer briefs.

She frowned, but then he saw it click. “Oh!” 

He smirked. “Yeah,  _ oh, _ ”

She bit her lip and he saw the wheels turning behind her pretty doe eyes. It was dark in the room but both their eyes had adjusted and the moonlight coming in through the window was kind of romantic.

“Well,” she said, dragging the word out slightly, “if you…  _ came _ …. do you think you’d feel better to continue?”

He hadn’t even thought about doing that in front of her, although he guessed that was the whole point of all this. They were experimenting.

“Ah… yeah… Yeah, I think I’d definitely feel better,”

“Okay,” she said with resolve, “Think I could help you?”

_ Oh, god,  _ he thought. It was obvious she didn’t even know how sexy she was being right now.

He honestly wasn’t embarrassed to be seen by her, but it was also new to him. “Yeah, that would be okay,” He had to jump in with both feet like she was doing.

She smiled happily down at him and pulled her weight off him enough to help push his boxer briefs down.

“Jug?”

“Yeah?” he asked, feeling a little nervous now but still okay. Sure he’s kissed girls before, but no one had ever seen him naked or touched him there.

“Think you could help me? I don’t really know what to do,”

She was sweet, he thought, nodding as he took her hand and moved it to his cock. It was surreal, her gentle hand wrapping around him as his own wrapped around the outside of hers.

Although he was guiding her movements, this felt ten times better than anything he’d ever done himself.

He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing his head back into the pillows and trying to concentrate on anything but how good what she was doing felt, how sweet she smelled, and how perfect her body felt pressed up against him.

Then her face pressed into the side of his neck and he felt himself lose any cool he had left. Fuck, it was all too much, her warm lips on his skin, the little breathes of excitment, and the way she followed his lead almost perfectly.

He strained not to make noise, but like a big ball of tension traveling through his body, it burst through him and climaxed in the best orgasm of his life.

He felt himself spill over their joined hands and his lower stomach, and, unlike he expected her to, she didn’t pull away, instead slowly let up pressure and pressed a final kiss to his neck.

They laid there for a moment, both in silence, before he reached for the tissues on her nightstand and cleaned himself up, giving her a tissue to do the same with her hand.

“Was that okay?” she asked after a moment.

He gave a quick laugh under his breath and collapsed into her comfortable bed again. “Yeah, it was definitely okay,”

“I mean,” she began, a little of that shyness coming through, “did I do it right?”

He frowned, the thought of her doing that to Reggie making him angrier than he wanted to be while laying here in her bed. 

“Yeah, you did it right,” he simply answered.

She cuddled up to him and he was surprised by it for some reason.

“Maybe I can do it without your help later,”

And just like that, any traces of anger subsided and he nodded. “If you want, yeah, I’m sure I’ll have something for you to work with again soon,”

She laughed, and it was infectious. He should enjoy this.

He took the moment she was caught off guard to press her down into the bed and move half his body over the top of hers, sliding his leg between hers and running his hand over the soft skin of her exposed stomach and ribs.

She looked at him and smiled gently.

“Do you want me to touch you yet?” he asked without teasing.

He saw her thinking about it for a moment, and made sure not to say anything so as not to pressure her.

“Ummm, yeah… I think that’ll be okay,” she nodded.

He kissed her then, seeing she was a little nervous for it even though she wanted to do it. They just kissed for a while, his hand slowly venturing lower and lower, until it was under the waistband of her shorts, and then slowly pushing into her panties.

He felt her body stiffen, a sharp inhale breaking their kiss.

“You okay?” he asked, checking in before he moved lower.

She was breathing deeply but she nodded her yes, pulling his face back in to kiss her as he pushed his hand all the way down.

He knew girls got wet when they were turned on and he had watched porn as much as any other teenaged boy, so he didn’t feel too lost. It was definitely exciting though.

He touched her gently, taking a few moments to explore and easily finding her opening, where the majority of the moisture was.

She stiffened again and he could guess why. He may not know anything about fingering girls but he knew not to just shove his fingers inside her without permission. Feeling good was about more than just penetration, he remembered Toni once saying.

“Don’t worry,” he said lowly, “I won’t do anything unless you say you want me to,”

She nodded, and he took it as a sign that he was okay to move. Feeling between her soft folds, he found her clit and smiled to himself triumphantly when she moaned and pulled him closer.

He moved back and forth for a moment, using her arousal to make the circles around her nerve smooth and gentle.

“Feel okay?” he asked, checking in, because even though he thought he was doing the right thing he couldn’t be too sure.

She moaned and nodded, now pressing her head back and closing her eyes, looking a little like she was concentrating and holding her breath.

When she opened her mouth, letting her lips escape the biting of her teeth, he was definitely rock hard again. She was so beautiful and he couldn’t believe he was making her feel good. He felt good that she was comfortable enough with him to let him do it. She trusted him enough.

Through the moonlight, he watched her face, his admiring gaze moving down her slender neck. The covers were around their stomachs and the way the fabric of her thin t-shirt outlined her perky breasts and hard nipples was just about the greatest thing he’d seen.

She was incredible, not just pretty but beautiful, and not just beautiful but really damn sexy, and for some reason he felt like he was the only one who really knew. How hardn’t he seen this earlier? 

He saw her almost every day, and now he knew he’d never be able to unsee her like this - in the midst of passion, moaning and gasping when he touched her just right. He never wanted to unsee it. In fact, he wanted to see it again and again.

Then she gasped his name and he moved in to kiss her neck, whispering, “It’s okay, let go, it’s just me,”

It took a moment, and he imagined it was probably because she was holding back or maybe he wasn’t doing something right, but finally she shook a little and grabbed his wrist, stopping his movements but not pushing him away quite yet.

She came for only a few moments, but to him it was enough to be burned into his memory forever. Then she laughed lightly and her whole body relaxed more than it had all night.

He gently removed his hand from between her legs, asking, “Did you come?” although he was pretty sure she did, but he didn’t want to assume.

She smiled and finally nodded. “I didn’t think I’d be able to with someone else touching me, but it was really nice… Thank you,”

He chuckled. “Anytime.” 

He felt very fucking proud of himself. His first time touching a girl and she actually came.

He suddendly began to remember all the stupid conversations with his friends, Sweet Pea bragging about making a girl come multipal times and Toni telling him he was an idiot and that she probably faked it.

He frowned. “Betty?”

She hummed to let him know she was listening.

“You weren’t just pretending right?”

She frowned then too, looking at him now with interest. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I know some girls just pretend so the guy doesn’t feel bad,”

She laughed lightly, but not teasingly. “Why would I pretend with you? We’re learning from each other, right? It would defeat the purpose if I pretended,”

_ Right, _ he thought, shifting so he could lay back. He’d almost forgotten for a second. This was all practice to prepare her for Reggie. It wasn’t real. He had to keep himself in check, because laying here right now, next to Betty in her bed, he realized she had all the power to break his heart, if he let her. 


	5. Chapter 5

When Jughead got home the next day, he tried his hardest not to sigh with exhaustion. His dad was in the kitchen, pouring every liquor bottle in the house down the kitchen sink. _Great_ , Jughead thought, he was in for another one of his dad’s dry spells.

“Hey, kid,” he greeted cheerfully. “Where were you last night?”

Jughead closed the door behind him and set his things down on the couch. “Just crashed over at Sweet Pea’s,” he lied. His dad went through long periods of not caring what Jughead did, and then when he decided to try the sober life, he was all of a sudden interested in everything to do with Jughead’s life. 

“Hey, I was thinking,” he went on, “you get cleaned up and I’ll pick us up Pop’s for dinner. We’ll have a father and son night, you can show me one of those old movies you’re always watching,”

This time Jughead did sigh, taking his jacket off and hanging it up. He was dying for a shower, having headed straight to school this morning from spending the whole night at Betty’s.

“I actually have plans with Betty,” he said. “We have to outline the next issue for the paper,”

“Oh,” his dad frowned. “Well invite her over then. I’ll buy a whole bunch of food and she can eat with us. Then you kids can spread out on the kitchen table or the living room floor and get to work.”

He knew that when his dad was like this there really was no point in fighting it. There was only so long his dad was nice about it before turning into the nightmare he usually was.

“I’ll see with her,” Jughead said, leaving his dad to empty more bottles as he headed straight for the bathroom.

He sent Betty a quick text and got into the shower. Betty had never been over, they usually worked on things at school or Pop’s. He thought about being embarrassed but knew there was no point in it. They were poor, he was pretty sure she knew that.

After his shower he checked his phone, seeing Betty’s reply. She was fine with coming over, so he sent her the address and told her to come hungry.

His dad was thrilled with the news, heading out to get dinner.

Jughead cleaned up a little before Betty came over, making sure all the empty liquor bottles were thrown out and lighting a floral candle to freshen up the air.

When she knocked he opened the door with what he hoped was a welcoming smile.

“Hey,” she greeted with a much kinder smile. “I guess it was only a matter of time until we ended up at yours, right?”

He smirked, stepping aside and offering to take her things. “Sorry, my dad’s going through one of his moods where he’s actually trying to parent. I find it easier to just go along with it.”

“It’s totally fine, I don’t mind,” she said as she began looking around. “This place is really cool, Jug. I’m glad your dad invited me.”

He liked how she was really kind when she knew the circumstance called for it, and could totally put him in his place when it was needed.

“Drink?” he asked, motioning her to the kitchen, where he had set their places already.

She nodded, following him and stopping at the wall with his baby pictures.

He opened the fridge, looking inside. It looked like his dad had done some grocery shopping for a change, actually getting some essentials. “What can I get you? We have Coke, apple juice, milk… water… I think we have some iced tea packets too,” he rattled off.

“Ah, apple juice is good, thanks,” she answered absentmindedly. “Oh my gosh, you were adorable,”

He shook his head as he got her drink and handed it to her. “I’m truly blessed,”

She laughed, so beautiful as the rays of setting sun danced across her face, coming in from the kitchen window. He liked all this extra time they were sending together. 

Just then his dad came home, offering an enthusiastic hello when he saw Betty.

“Hi, Mr. Jones, thanks so much for inviting me over for dinner. You’re home is so lovely,”

His dad smiled so bright Jughead was pretty sure he’d never seen him smile like that. “Of course, sweetheart, I’m glad you came.” He put the bags down before shaking Betty’s hand. “Come on, let's dig in before it gets cold.”

The three of them sat down and as Jughead expected, FP went into his typical parent questioning. Betty, of course, ever the most perfect person he knew, kept up conversation well and answered all questions respectfully.

When they were done eating and Betty excused herself to the bathroom, his dad raised his eyebrows at him with a sly look.

“What?” he asked, almost through clenched teeth.

“She’s a looker, that one,” he shrugged, taking a drink from his Coke.

Jughead wanted to tell him not to be a gross old man, but he bit his tongue, just shushing him instead, not wanting Betty to hear and feel uncomfortable.

“I’m telling you, she takes after her mother,”

Jughead didn’t want to hear it, but he knew his dad had been a ladies man back in high school. He was in his prime, the best player on the football team and the most popular guy at school. 

Jughead swore he wasn’t going to follow in his dad’s footsteps. That’s why he focused on his grades and worked hard to make sure he only had better things ahead. 

“Seriously, kid, I was afraid maybe you’d never get with a girl, but you sure chose a good one,”

Jughead shook his head and was about to warn him to stop when Betty returned. 

“So,” FP said, leaning back in his chair. “Are you two kids seeing each other?” 

Jughead’s eyes widened in shock, unable to tell his dad to shut up before he went on. “Because if he hasn’t made a move on you yet, I might have to worry,”

God, he really had no idea how creepy he was being. “Dad,” he warned. 

“Oh no, Mr. Jones, Jug and I are just friends… The new girl has actually had her eye on him… and I know Jughead’s interested,” she teased. 

Jughead’s shocked state shifted to Betty. She was just as bad as his dad. 

“What’s this?” FP asked with entertainment. “You didn’t tell me any of this, son… Your first girlfriend. What’s she like, then?”

He groaned in irritation, shaking his head at Betty. “You see what you’ve done?” he asked, looking back at his dad. “She’s not my girlfriend, dad,”

“Well it’s not just magically going to happen, kid. You have to work at it…”

And so began an excruciating fifteen to twenty minutes of his dad giving them relationship advice. 

When he finally left them alone to work on the paper, Jughead shook his head at Betty again. “I can not believe you. That was humiliating.”

She laughed with amusement and it was enough to make him forget why he was upset. 


	6. Chapter 6

“Well,” Jughead’s dad said, making Betty’s attention shift to him from what she was working on, “I’m going to head to bed, kids,”

Betty smiled. She was sure it was much too early for his bedtime, but he was probably just trying to give them some alone time. Jughead’s dad was nice, and very obvious. Even though they’d talked about Veronica, Betty was sure his dad would high five Jughead in the morning for having a girl over.

“Thank you so much for having me over, Mr. Jones,”

“It was my pleasure, sweetheart. You’re welcome over anytime you want,”

Betty smiled in thanks.

“Make sure you kids don’t work all night. Take a break, watch a movie or something, there’s blankets, make yourself comfortable.”

Betty tried not to laugh as she could practically  _ hear _ Jughead’s eyes rolling.

“Alright, dad, we’ll be fine,” Jughead said in annoyance, “ _ goodnight _ ,”

His dad threw his hands up in defence, a knowing smile on his face before he left them alone.

Betty sat back from her work and laughed, Jughead looking back at her in continued annoyance. 

“He’s nice, Jug,” she told him.

She watched as Jughead’s expression changed from annoyed to exhausted.

“Hey,” she said, “I think your dad’s right. Maybe we can just relax a little before I have to leave. We got a lot done already,”

When Jughead closed his laptop and sat back with her, it was decided.

She already had her shoes off so she pulled her legs up and tucked them under her on the couch.

“What’s up, Jug?” she asked, genuinely wanting to know about her friend. He never really talked about his family, although she knew, just from town gossip, that he didn’t necessarily have the most stable family. Then again, who did? No one was perfect.

His eyes remained closed as he brought his hand up and ran it back through his thick, dark hair. 

“We don’t have to talk about it,” he finally said, opening his eyes to glance at her.

She offered a smile. “Okay, but if you want to, I’ll always be around,”

He sighed. “It’s just, it’s hard sometimes dealing with him. You’re seeing him at his most optimistic, one day sober,”

“Oh,” Betty said sadly. She was pretty sure she understood. “I’m guessing there’s been a few one day sober days, huh?”

She was turned in towards him, watching as he laid his head against the back of the old sofa and stared at the ceiling. “Way more zero days sober though,”

She bit her lip, worried about him.

“It’s just,” he moved his head to the side and looked at her. “He does this a lot, goes through periods where he wants to be this really involved supportive father, but they never last and it’s just kind of exhausting… To tell you the truth, it’s easier when he’s drunk,”

She frowned, she felt bad for them both.

“I know that sucks to say,”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay, that’s how you feel,”

He looked at her for another long second, then stared at the ceiling again. 

“I’m sorry, Jug,” she said sincerely. “If there’s anything you need ever, you know-”

“I know,” he cut her off, but she had a feeling he didn’t really. He was the kind to suffer in silence.

“I’m serious Jug,”

His head tilted towards her again, his arm and hand coming to sit across her lap in a gesture of thanks as he smiled ever so slightly.

She wasn’t sure why, but in the soft intimate moment, with them seated so close, the only thing that felt right was to lean in and kiss him. So she did. It was a new way of comfort she’d recently discovered with him. 

Their friendship had so easily slipped into being more comfortable than ever. They were opening up to each other in ways they had never opened up to others before.

This kiss was similar to their first, but altogether knew. She wasn’t nervous like she was the very first time, and she wasn’t excited like she had been the other times. She was just content, here with him in his home, and it felt natural to kiss him.

The kiss was soft and slow, gradually deepening until she was climbing into his lap and his hands began massaging her back.

“Is this okay?” she breathed. She didn’t want him to think he couldn’t keep talking if that’s what he wanted, and she didn’t want to be insensitive with progressing their night to this.

He nodded quickly, pulling her back in, his lips demanding more of her, deeper with every second that passed. She was hot, so hot, and although she didn’t think she was ready for tonight to progress further than they had yet, she didn’t see anything wrong taking her shirt off.

Next week was approaching fast, but even if Reggie wanted to hang out with her at the party, she knew she wasn’t willing to go further than a kiss, so right now she didn’t feel pressured to do more than what they were doing.

Pulling away slightly, she smiled down at Jughead, who seemed just as hot as she was. Biting her lip, she reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. She watched a little nervously as Jughead took her in. She was in a bra and he’d already touched her breasts so it wasn’t much difference. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he said lowly, catching her off guard.

“Really?” Maybe it was a stupid question but it had just been so nice to hear.

“Yeah, of course,” he replied seriously.

She wanted to make some comment about thinking he was more into brunettes, but she honestly didn’t want to bring Veronica up right now.

He reached up with both hands and slowly pulled the straps to her bra down her shoulders, with enough time for her to stop him, but she didn’t, gasping softly when he leaned forward and began to kiss the exposed parts of her breast.

She felt like she could burst from the inside out at the tenderness of it all. 

She knew she should probably be more careful, but she was pretty sure his dad wouldn’t come out of his room at all costs, wanting them to have their privacy, so she just enjoyed herself. There was no other boy she could ever be this relaxed around to let this happen.

She giggled lightly when Jughead took over and lifted her long enough to flip her onto her back. She watched him as he pulled his shirt off before joining her in another kiss, the skin on skin contact only making the heat greater.

.

A little later Jughead walked her out to her car, the chill in the night air jarring her senses. Suddenly the content way she felt inside was gone.

“I’m sorry… that I wasn’t up for going further tonight,” she apologized. She knew this wasn’t just about her, Jughead wanted to get ready for Veronica as much as she wanted to get ready for Reggie.

Jughead frowned. “Don’t be sorry,”

“I just… I know this is about more than just me and Reggie,”

His frown remained.

“I mean, I know this is about Veronica too, and you being ready for her,”

She wasn’t really sure what went through his eyes then, but it was definitely something, and for some reason she felt like she had maybe said something wrong.

“It’s fine, Betty,” he dismissed. 

She felt like anything she said now might be taken the wrong way, and she didn’t want to make anything worse. She wasn’t even sure where it went wrong. 

“Okay, I’ll ah… text you,”

Her whole drive home she tried to figure out if she had said something wrong, and as she lay in bed, staring at her text chain with Jughead, she had no idea what to say. Instead she switched to her text with Polly, deciding to check in and see how she was doing.

Betty had a week left until the party next week, and even though she didn’t plan to do more than let Reggie kiss her, maybe she’d be ready for more with Jughead.


	7. Chapter 7

Jughead woke up the next day tired and groggy, thankful that it was the weekend and he could hopefully spend the morning in front of the television.

“Morning, son,” 

Jughead groaned out a good morning as he dragged his feet to the fridge and pulled out the milk. It wasn’t often his dad was up before him, and he wished today was another morning where he could be alone.

As he poured himself cereal, his dad began rattling away about last night, and honestly he wasn’t listening, not until he said, “How late was she here?”

“Not late,” he answered mid chew, watching as his dad sat across from him at the small table.

“Did you get lucky, kid?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. 

He sighed, grabbing another spoonful. “It’s not like that with Betty, dad,”

His dad nodded and sat back, sipping his coffee. “I know, I know you guys are just friends, but that doesn’t mean you don’t…”

Jughead shot him a pointed look and he chuckled. “I’m just saying, if you kids decide to get up to anything, I’d rather you do it here than god knows where, there’s condoms under the bathroom sink,”

Jughead took an exasperated breath. Yes, he knew. There had been a few occasions where his dad had brought some lady back to the trailer and Jughead had to go to Sweet Pea’s or Toni’s to crash.

“Your old man’s embarrassing, I know,” FP said, and Jughead hated what was coming next. The pity party of one.

“I know… I know I haven’t been the best dad to you, and you deserve better. I really am trying to be better,”

He sighed. He’d heard it all before. “I’m not embarrassed of you, dad, or my life,” he said, although he wasn’t sure how true that was.

While he felt comfortable having Betty here, he wasn’t so sure he’d feel the same way about Veronica. Betty knew the real him, and Veronica, well he wasn’t sure what she saw in him quite frankly. 

FP gave a short sad smile and went back to his coffee. “Well, I’m going to help out at the Wyrm today, you’ll be alright by yourself?”

When wasn’t he okay by himself? “Yeah, I’m hanging out with the guys this weekend.”

He felt badly about making things a bit weird with Betty last night before she left, but he had to keep his feelings in check. It was probably best they had these next couple of days away from one another. What they had been doing together was starting to mess with his head a little.

.

On Monday, while at his locker, Jughead kept glancing towards Betty’s, wondering where she was. They hadn’t texted all weekend, so he was kind of anxious to see her.

“Hey, Jughead,”

He almost jumped, but managed to keep his cool, turning to his other side when he heard Veronica’s voice. 

“Hey, Veronica, what’s up?” he asked with a smile. She’d been nothing but super nice to him, so he wanted to extend that.

She smiled, that smile he’d seen Betty wear when she was talking to Reggie. Jughead realized he was starting to get selfish. Maybe it was just that he was being physical with Betty that had his emotions in a bit of a twist. He’d started all this for Veronica, and she was the girl he should be focused on.

“Nothing much, how was your weekend?” she asked, pretty dark eyes sparkling. No girl had ever looked at him like this, and to be honest, he kind of liked it. Plus, Veronica was gorgeous and smart and nice, there was nothing not to like in return.

“It was nice,” he shrugged. “I hung out with my dad and some friends. What about you?”

Her smile remained. “Same, actually,” 

It was nice talking to her. She was easier going than her well put together appearance would suggest.

She shifted from one leg to the other. “So, I um… I came to ask you if… I don’t know if you know but I’ve joined just about every club there is in this school,”

He continued to watch and listen, amused. 

“Well, except for the paper of course. I don’t really have anything to contribute there,”

He was sure that wasn’t true. If she asked, Betty would probably find a place for her.

“Anyway, I’m on the events committee and I was talking to one of the other students and he said they don’t really have anyone that deals directly with the paper. You know, getting event information set up and things like that,”

He nodded, listening.

“We had that in my old school, someone who would work directly with the school newspaper so all the news was up to date and current… I was thinking, since we have some events coming up, maybe you and I could grab lunch once a week and I can fill you in… unless there’s someone else on the paper that you think I should talk to instead.”

He thought about it for a moment. “I mean, I cover some of the sports events sometimes so I don’t see why not.”

Her smile brightened.

“Thanks for coming to me about this, it’s nice of you to want to get so involved,”

“I figured I’ve talked to you more than Betty so you were the safer bet,”

He chuckled. “Betty’s really nice, I’m sure she’ll be grateful you want to help out,”

“Oh,” Veronica said. “I know. She was super sweet when she showed me around on my first day, but since we haven’t really hung out at all, I didn’t know if maybe she didn’t like me,”

Jughead frowned. He was sure that wasn’t it. “Betty likes everyone,” he assured. “It’s probably just that you hang out in different circles,”

Veronica hung out with Cheryl’s group, becoming a cheerleader during her first week at the school.

Jughead recalled earlier last year, when he’d walked in on Betty crying about some cheerleading stuff, so it was probably just that she stayed away from that crowd. He thought it was weird that Betty had wanted to be a cheerleader, he couldn’t picture it.

“Probably,” Veronica agreed, the bell bringing their conversation to an end. “Are you free for lunch tomorrow? I’ve got a thing today,”

He nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow’s good,”

As he finished sharing a goodbye with Veronica, he turned back towards Betty’s locker. He spotted her in the crowd, walking away, half way down the hall already.

.

Jughead finally caught up with Betty when he found her studying at one of the tables in the library during their shared free period.

“Hey,” he said, pulling out his laptop so he could write.

She looked up at him, her expression unreadable still. “Hi,”

“You didn’t text me,” he said. Now that he was talking to her he didn’t really want to get into anything heavy, instead acting like everything was fine. Everything  _ was  _ fine.

“Huh?”

“You said you’d text me,”

A small frown creased Betty’s brow. “Oh, yeah I’m sorry, I forgot. I went to visit Polly this weekend with my dad and… Sorry,”

He shrugged. She seemed a little inside her own head. “It’s fine. Glad to see you’re okay,”

She gave a quick smile and looked back down at her work.

He got himself set up as he didn’t speak for the next few minutes, seeing if she’d say anything without being prompted to. 

She didn’t.

“I wanted to tell you,” he began, getting her attention again. “Veronica’s going to be our insider for the events committee,”

She looked at him with question.

“So we can make sure everything gets into the paper,”

“Oh,” she said, but he could practically read her mind. Did they really need one of those? 

“Hey, she offered and I figured it doesn’t hurt.”

The corner of Betty’s lip curled up. “I’m sure she’s only doing it so she has an excuse to be around you more,”

He smiled to himself.

Betty rolled her eyes. Okay, maybe he was being a bit cocky.

The two of them began to work in comfortable silence, his words coming to him easily and his fingers flying across the keypad.

Perhaps it was the teenage hormones, or his wandering brain, but as his fingers stilled, he began to remember the way they’d touched her in unseen places. He had been right that the image of her floating in pleasure would forever be in his memory. He’d thought about it a couple of times this past weekend, in fact.

His eyes shifted to her. She had her hair up like she did half the time, but he liked it down, liked seeing her relaxed and happy, free.

“Can I come over tonight?” he asked, his words thankfully not slicing through the silence too sharply.

She seemed caught off guard by the question, although he wasn’t sure why. She just looked at him and nodded.

They’d known each other for years, but he felt like the last week had thrust them into a deeper friendship. There was something unsure about it, the newness probably throwing them both off.

He hoped everything would work out. He didn’t want to lose her. 


	8. Chapter 8

Betty wasn’t sure why she felt jealous when she saw Jughead talking to Veronica. She should have felt happy for her friend. But as he told her of Veronica’s plan to get closer to him, she only felt more protective.

There was nothing Jughead needed to be protected from. Veronica liked him and he liked her, things were moving in a good direction for him like they had been for herself and Reggie.

Maybe she was just jealous and worried that once Veronica and Jughead inevitably began dating, she’d be left behind. What if Reggie just wanted a fling, like he did with most of the other girls he’d been involved with? Betty didn’t want to be like the other girls.

“You okay?” She felt Jughead’s hot breath on her neck.

“Yes,” she breathed, lying. 

He was on top of her in her bed, having arrived a little later than usual because he had to wait and make sure his dad was asleep. His hand was inside her panties and her emotions were spinning out of control at a dangerous rate.

She wanted to switch her brain off and only focus on his touch, on the way he smelled so fresh and familiar.

“Can I go further?” he asked, and she knew what he meant.

She wasn’t sure she was ready, although what he was doing was really nice, but she was encouraged by her desire to be ready for Reggie, to prove to both herself and him that she was mature enough for this.

“Yeah,”

She was scared it would hurt, that Jughead would jump right in, but as nice as he had been since this all began, Jughead went slow, so slow that once she felt ready enough she moved her hips to encourage his fingers to go deeper.

It felt so overwhelming that she welcomed it, welcomed the pressure and excitement and nerves.

The knot that was her emotions and desire began to tighten, so tight she was afraid of how or when they’d untangle.

She gripped at his shoulder with one hand, her other grabbing a fistful of her bed covers. She focused on the softness of his lips on her neck, and soon she was jumping off the edge, this strange sensation of freedom that she didn’t want to experience.

Her hand flew from the bed covers to Jughead’s back, holding on because she didn’t want to fall at all. Her orgasm was mixed with a little pain, but the complete let go of emotions was what was truly scary.

Suddenly Jughead was kissing her, stealing her breath away, all consuming and giving her wings.

His hand slipped out of her panties as their kiss turned feaverish. 

She didn’t know she was crying, not until he broke away and a soft sob escaped.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Betty shook her head, feeling stupid and so emotional.

“Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head again. “God, no,” she managed to say.

Jughead, despite being a know-it-all-asshole sometimes, would never hurt her. She knew that. In fact he had been a lot sweeter since this all began.

“I’m sorry, I’m so stupid,” 

He frowned at her through the dim light, his hands pressing into the bed beside her so he could better look down at her. He looked worried.

“You’re not stupid… What’s wrong, Betty?”

_Nothing._ Nothing should be wrong.

She shook her head and took a minute to get her breathing together.

She wasn’t even sure how to articulate what it was she was actually upset about, because it was kind of everything, so she just said the first thing she thought of, the thing that made more sense than anything else.

“Reggie’s not going to like me,”

.

Jughead wasn’t sure what she was going to say, but something about hearing Reggie’s name in that moment made his chest feel as heavy as her crying did.

“Oh, Betty,” he sighed. “Why would you say that?”

She sniffled and took a moment to answer. “Because I’m a fake, I’m experiencing all this stuff with my best friend because I’m too scared to experience it for real.”

_Ouch_ , he thought.

Jughead felt pathetic, laying here practically naked in her bed with her crying over another boy. He really was pathetic, but he couldn’t help but comfort her anyway, even though his own heart was tight. 

“Hey… just because you don’t have romantic feelings for me doesn’t mean this isn’t real,” he told her, shifting so he was laying next to her instead of on top.

She just bit her lip and her sad eyes looked to him for more. He had no idea what to say.

“It’s not fake for me, Betty,” he went on, deciding to go with the truth, feeling very vulnerable himself right now.

It would be so easy to tell her the whole truth. To tell her he wanted to forget about their deal and just continue this because they wanted it. All he had to do was say it.

But he knew if he did it would all stop. Betty wanted Reggie.

“Just because we aren’t doing this with people we like in _that_ way, I still like you, I still find you very attractive, and I still have feelings for you,”

“You do?” she asked, that smile that made him so happy slowly replacing her sad expression.

“Of course. You said it yourself, we’re best friends,”

She nodded.

They were silent and he used the silence to convince himself that what he said was true. They did have feelings for each other, they did care for each other, but they wanted other people.

Another sniffle pulled him away from his thoughts. “Do you want me to help you out?” she asked, reaching down between them.

He stopped her hand, shaking his head with a gentle smile. He was pretty sure both their emotions were a little too frayed for any more of the fun stuff. He himself honestly just wanted to crawl into his own bed and hide for a week.

“Can you still stay awhile? I don’t want to be alone,”

How could he say no?

With a quick nod, Betty was turning her back to him and positioning them into a spooning pose.

He sighed into her soft hair, and despite feeling weak and drained, he tightened his arm around her and hoped he was helping her relax and get to sleep. She’d feel better in the morning.

.

Feeling Betty shift, Jughead slowly began to stretch, enjoying the second of bliss in her bed before she made him aware of the time.

“Fuck,” he hissed. They had forgotten to set an alarm.

It was too late for him to go home before heading to school. “Think I could grab a shower?” he asked. If he couldn’t have clean clothes at least his body could be clean.

“Of course,” he said, “you can hop in and I’ll get you a clean towel.”

It was a good thing Betty had her own ensuite. As long as he stayed in her room he was sure they’d be safe from her parents. He just had to be extra careful sneaking out so they didn’t catch him. And of course, lie to his dad when he got home tonight. 

Her shower, even though he was sure was nothing special by normal people’s standards, was magnificent to him.

He made it to a whole five minutes without the water turning ice cold and the extra space to move around was nice too.

He grabbed the towel Betty had thrown over the top for him and dried off before wrapping it around his hips and stepping out.

Betty was there, in a thin blue robe that fell just above her knees, and for some reason she caught him a little off guard. With a few seconds to recover, he smirked to himself at being checked out.

Running his hand back through his wet hair, he raised his eyebrows. “So this is what gets you going, huh? A wet, naked, vulnerable man you have trapped in your bathroom?”

She smiled and he was glad to see she seemed to be in much better spirits this morning.

“I’m sorry about last night. I know I ruined the mood,”

He shook his head, acting like it was no big deal. “You didn’t,”

“I did,” she insisted.

When she did what she did next, it took his brain a second to catch up. She had taken her robe off, standing there in nothing but her panties from the night before and a little camisole that he could very easily see her perky breasts in.

He swallowed. Did she actually have to be so beautiful?

“I should make it up to you,”

The corner of his lips turned up in a cool smile, but inside his heart was beating so loud it was all he could hear. He loved how she could be shy one minute, but seem totally brave and sure of herself the next.

He watched as she stepped forward and pressed up on her toes to kiss him. It was really fucking nice. The feel of her lips made his whole body tingle and the image of her almost naked was still very fresh.

She pulled away and hummed.

“You don’t need to ma-” His sentence was cut off when she pulled his towel away and made it drop to the floor.

Her gentle hand wrapped around him and his eyes closed. She’d given him a hand job a few times now and he’d be lying if he said they weren’t really, _really_ nice.

He wasn’t expecting more. He wasn’t even expecting this. But Betty seemed a lot better than she did last night, gently dropping to her knees and looking up at him as if for permission.

He frowned, thinking this was all too much, but when her warm, wet mouth joined her hand, he forgot even his own name.

What the hell had they gotten themselves into?

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, I wanted to add a quick note here. I had a really hard time with this chapter, especially the ending, just because I feel a bit iffy about what Betty did after her feelings the night before. But this will move the story along and I promise I won't just leave it here. I made sure I wrote chapter 9 before posting this because once I wrote 9, I felt a lot better about 8. Hope you liked it :)


	9. Chapter 9

Jughead walked around in a haze all morning at school. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Betty had done, about how nice it was, but also how he was still worried about her.

She had been upset the night before but the next morning she gave him a blow job? It felt like something was off about that.

He knew she was usually good with keeping her emotions hidden, so he hoped she really was okay and that she hadn’t just done what she did to prove to both him and herself that she was okay, when really she wasn’t.

He’d completely forgotten about his lunch with Veronica, so when she joined him and started talking, he was a little confused, but quickly caught on, hoping he didn’t look like he had forgotten.

His eyes searched the cafeteria for Betty when Veronica was looking down at her notepad, even though he knew Betty wouldn’t be there.

This wasn’t right anymore, he realized. He didn’t want to string Veronica along but he also didn’t want to lose Betty’s friendship if he told her maybe he had feelings.

He wasn’t sure he even did. Maybe he was just confused because of what they were doing and the intimacy of it all.

He needed to talk to Betty.

He could hardly wait until last period, when the two of them would be alone in the journalism lab.

He got there before her and set up, anxiously waiting, his knee bouncing up and down under the table.

When she entered he nervously shot out of his seat and she gave him a strange look before coming over to put her stuff down by his.

“How was your lunch with Veronica?” she asked.

This mixture of emotions he was getting from her was really starting to mess with his head. Some days she seemed completely fine, and others she was off.

“It was fine,” he dismissed, thinking he’d rather talk about a million other things in that moment, like her and if she was okay.

“You’ve really painted me a picture there, Jug,” she said with a humorous tone to her voice.

He looked at her suspiciously. Why was she so okay all of a sudden?

It didn’t matter. They both sat down and turned to her as she set up. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

God, were all girls this impossible, he wondered. He imagined no, it was probably just Betty. She had to be the different one.

“I mean… Was this morning too much?”

She shrugged. “It’s what we signed up for, right? This party is coming up fast and my crying last night took out a huge chunk of our time. I wanted to catch up since we had time together this morning,”

That’s all it was for her?

“I’m sorry about last night again,” she said, looking very remorseful.

He scoffed. “Seriously? There isn’t anything to be sorry for. We’re meant to be friends. I’d rather you show me your real emotions then blow me if that’s not what you actually want to do,”

She gave him a look like he was crazy, and obviously he was upset. 

Neither of them talked for a moment, Jughead staring at his laptop screen and trying to get his anger and confusion shorted. 

Taking a breath and feeling like maybe he had gained some control of his actions, he turned to her again. If he was being truthful with himself he’d know this was only just the beginning. 

“Are you really expecting to do more with him on Friday than just kiss?”

She frowned and he felt badly for shaming her. He knew she could do whatever she wanted. If she were a guy he’d be high fiving her for wanting more. But she wasn’t a guy and no one else really mattered to him like she did.

She shrugged finally. “I don’t know, I guess not,”

He let go of the breath he’d been holding.  _ Thank God. _

“So why are we rushing things then?”

Something inside Betty shifted then too and he knew it was only a matter of time before she came back at him too.

“You’re the one who said Reggie would expect more from me! That’s why we started this,”

She was right. Not long ago they’d sat together at Pop’s diner and he’d given her shit about how she was nowhere near as experienced as the other girls Reggie had been with.

He had been a real dick that night.

And why was he fighting with her now? 

He was still a dick.

The silence fell over them again and Betty sighed with resolve.

“Maybe we just need a few nights away from each other,” she suggested. “Things between you and Veronica are going well, right? Why don’t you ask her to go with you to the game and party?”

Feeling hurt, he pulled his eyes away from her and focused on the computer screen. “Yeah, maybe I will,” and it seemed their fight had come to an end.

.

Betty had never experienced such an awkward silence with Jughead before. Even when they had to speak to each other about the issue they were working on, there was still that same icy feeling lingering.

Truth was that before they began doing this, they talked to each other like that all the time. They called each other on their bullshit and they didn’t apologize for it.

But ever since they started hooking up they’d both been a lot more gentle and careful with each other. And it was kind of nice.  _ He _ was nice.

After letting out some of her fears last night she had felt really refreshed and good in the morning. She wanted to show her appreciation for how amazing he had been and she thought she was doing something good. It had felt good and empowering at the time, more so than she thought it would.

And he seemed to really like it too.

But now she was feeling super self conscious about it. Mortified even. Like she was pretending to be someone else and she’d completely embarrassed herself in front of him.

The last few hours had felt like she was walking on eggshells and all she wanted to do was go home and hide.

Saying goodbye to him, Betty left with a heavy heart, feeling worse than she had the night before.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there hasn't been an update in awhile. It was only last night that I wrote a couple of chapter. After I wrote them I realized that this is probably winding down and we're near the end :)   
> Unbeta'd, please excuse the mistakes.

Jughead tried not to think about Betty, but it was damn near impossible. It’s all he  _ could _ think about, to the point that it was actually annoying.

They didn’t ignore each other on the days leading up to the away game, but they also didn’t go out of their way to see each other. She had said they needed a few days, so he was respecting her wishes, staying home with his dad every night, checking his phone every few seconds to make sure she hadn’t texted, just in case.

He took her advice and asked Veronica to the game and after party. She had to cheer, but she seemed super excited that he had asked, telling him she’d meet him there and maybe they could ride home together.

He felt like a jerk, stringing her along when he was pretty sure she was no longer the girl he had eyes for. It was strange really, she’d been so appealing when she first arrived. It wasn’t that she wasn’t amazing. She was. It’s just that he wasn’t into it anymore.

At the game he sat with some of the guys, spotting Betty further up on the bleachers. She and Kevin were cheering on the team, and when he saw her wave, he looked back onto the field, spotting Reggie waving back.

Everything inside him felt sour. He’d been friends with Betty for a long time, he had all that time to figure out his feelings for her, but it wasn’t until she liked another boy that he finally did. Jughead realized he had horrible timing.

Just then Fangs bumped him in the shower and he realized it was because Veronica had been trying to get his attention, offering him a pretty smile and wave.

He smiled in return, bringing his camera up to snap a shot of the cheerleaders.

Even though Jughead was meant to be the one covering the game, he barely paid enough attention to even know who won.

It wasn’t until he was walking back to his truck that he was brought out of his own haze, realizing someone was calling his name. He imagined it was Betty. He wanted it to be Betty.

When he turned though, a very happy petite brunette was jogging over to him.

He smiled despite his disappointment, watching as she caught up with him.

“Great game, huh?” she asked, a big smile on her face.

“Totally,”

The two stared at each other for a second as the loud crowd around them found their own cars, no doubt also heading to the party next.

“Hey, so I ah, I told Cheryl and the girls I’d just meet them there. I figured I could ride with you,”

“Sure,” he agreed, offering to take her bag.

“Ah, do you actually mind if I changed in your truck?” she asked. “The guys get to use the locker rooms to shower and change, but us cheerleaders have to make do.”

It took him a moment to process, but he opened the door for her and said, “Of course. I’ll keep an eye out. Let me know when you’re done,”

He didn’t expect it, but Veronica put her hands on his shoulders and pressed up on her toes to place a gentle kiss on his cheek, staying close probably longer than she had to. She smelled amazing, but he’d much rather be smelling someone else.

How had he gotten himself into this mess?

Well, he knew how. The reason question was  _ why? _

Veronica gave him another smile and got into the car, Jughead looking ahead as he let her do her thing. He told himself not to look for Betty, but still he found himself searching the crowd, not once thinking about the naked and beautiful girl he had in his truck.

He almost forgot again, until she opened the door and said, “Okay, I’m ready,”

He hopped into the driver's seat and glanced over at her. She looked nice. She always did. So he told her so.

The ride wasn’t long and most of the silence was filled by Veronica giving him directions.

Once inside there were so many people that it was hard to look for Betty, especially because Veronica was popular and had them saying hello to so many other people.

Needing a break, he said he was going to go grab them both drinks, slipping away and heading to the kitchen.

There was a bit of a line, so he found himself waiting, lost in thought yet again.

Reggie’s voice carried throughout the house, over all the music and other noises. Jughead frowned as he looked in the direction, watching his classmate high five some of the other players.

He took a deep breath, wishing he didn’t care. At least Reggie wasn’t with Betty.  _ Yet. _

He grabbed a couple of drinks when it was his turn, heading back over to where he had left Veronica. She was still talking to someone, so after handing her the drink, his eyes started to wonder again, this time spotting Betty easily over by the pool, the blue color of the water shining off the soft locks of her hair.

Like a nightmare, her face lit up, and Jughead followed her eye line, spotting none other than Reggie.

Reggie said something to his friends and made his way over to Betty, the two talking for only a moment before Reggie placed his hand on her arm and the two moved into the house.

Trying not to be obvious, Jughead followed, his heart dropping into his stomach when Reggie took Betty’s hand and the two of them headed up the stairs, weaving their way around other people standing around on them.

He’d screwed all this up. Now she was in the arms of another boy and it wasn’t his place to go stop her. She could do whatever she wanted, be with whoever she wanted. And it wasn’t him.

“Hey,”

He turned when he heard Veronica’s voice, feeling her touch his shoulder.

“Oh, hey, sorry,”

“Where’d you go?” she asked, her smile a little less easy than normal.

“Nowhere,” he lied.

She seemed to drop it, but her eyes did travel up the stairs. Had she seen who he’d been following?

“How’s your drink?” he asked, offering his best smile.

“It’s good… I’m sorry I was talking to those people… Maybe we can go hang out in the front yard? Just us. I think it’s more mellow out there than it is in the house and backyard.”

He agreed and followed her out front, the two of them finding a pair of free seats on the large front porch.

“This house is so beautiful,” Veronica said, crossing her legs, her already short dress riding up. “It’s really nice of the other team to invite us all like this,”

Jughead looked around at the house, although he was distracted, despair filling him completely as he wondered and worried about Betty upstairs all on her own with Reggie.

“Is everything okay, Jughead?” Veronica asked, her tone changing to concern.

He told himself to stop it, trying to focus just on her now. Any of the guys at the party would kill to be him right now. Veronica was perfect and he was screwing up with yet another wonderful girl.

“Of course,”

She sighed and he could tell she didn’t believe him.

“It’s Betty, isn’t it?”

Jughead wished Veronica wasn’t so perspective, but clearly she was a very intelligent person.

He took a long drink from his cup, his jaw tensing and his knee bouncing up and down. “I’m sorry,” he said in admission.

She smiled kindly and placed her hand gently on his knee. “It’s really okay,”

He looked into her eyes and realized it really was. He had been afraid of hurting her feelings, but what would really hurt her was if he kept this up without being truthful.

“I’m sorry if I lead you on,” 

She shook her head, tilting it slightly as she looked at him with more kindness and also some pity.

“I really do like you… I did… I… I do. Just not like that… God, I can’t believe I’m saying that, look at you, you’re a beautiful person,”

Her smile brightened and she pulled her hand away. “You’re a sweetheart, Jughead Jones,”

He sighed. No he wasn’t. He was a dick.

“Now,” she said with resolve, sitting up taller. “Tell me what’s going on,”


	11. Chapter 11

Betty’s heart was beating out of her chest as the handsome boy she’d been crushing on for forever held her hand and led her to a private room upstairs.

She’d felt so anxious over today, over the fact that Reggie wanted to hang out with her, that it was all she’d been thinking of for the last few days.

Well, almost.

There was also the whole Jughead thing. It was really weird not to see him as much as she had, even weirder not feeling like she could text him after telling him they needed a few days apart.

And they did. She still felt a little embarrassed about everything that happened and couldn’t stop thinking about Jughead’s question.

_ Are you really expecting to do more with him on Friday than just kiss? _

As Reggie led them into a room and closed the door, she knew the answer. She wasn’t ready to give more away than just a kiss, but she’d see how it went. She always over thought everything and maybe she shouldn’t.

Reggie was smiling at her handsomely as they sat together on the bed. She was nervous, biting her lip to try and stop the butterflies in her stomach.

“I’m so glad you agreed to hang out tonight,”

“Me too,” she smiled, her shoulders pulling up as she felt a little self conscious.

She’d spent forever choosing the dress and jacket she was going to wear tonight and suddenly she felt like he knew it, and that it would seem desperate.

“You played really well tonight,” she said, needing to fill the silence that was setting in, realizing she was even more nervous now than she had been the first night she and Jughead kissed.

Maybe it was because she had liked Reggie for so long. And Jughead was comfortable and familiar. She didn’t need to worry about anything with Jughead. 

“I was trying to impress you,” Reggie said, his hand brushing her hair away from her shoulder.

Her cheeks burned, looking up at him through her lashes.

“You always impress me,”

That made him laugh lightly, Betty’s heart fluttering. He was so handsome, and in this moment he seemed to only have eyes for her.

She bit her lip harder, letting it go when he leaned forward for a kiss.

She moaned, not expecting tongue right away. Jughead usually kissed her lips slow at first, before deepening the kiss.

Reggie’s kiss was more demanding. Not bad, but not how she expected it to be either.

When they pulled away, he smiled again. “You’re sweet, just how I imagined.”

He didn’t let her respond, lacing his fingers through her hair as he pulled her closer and continued the kiss.

She pressed her hand against his chest, not so much pushing him away but needing to steady herself. It was a lot.

She moaned as she pulled away after a moment. “Reggie… I… I really like you,”

“I like you too, Betty,” he replied.

She felt worried about the fact that she didn’t have that feeling she had when she was kissing Jughead. Like it was just the two of them floating above the world. She wanted that with Reggie, she was meant to have that with him. 

“Don’t be mad,” she told him.

His smile dropped, waiting for her to continue.

“Is it okay if… if we only kiss?”

She was worried that he’d walk out right now and tell everyone she was a prude. 

“Of course… Kissing you is,” he leaned in and kissed her again, “so sweet,”

She let him push her down on the bed, and no matter how hard she tried to get into it, all she kept thinking about was Jughead.

What had she done?

Pushing him away again, although afraid he might turn on her, she realized she just had to stop.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he replied. “I’m sorry if I’m being a little too eager, but you’re just really pretty,”

She bit her lip at the compliment. “Thank you,”

He brushed her hair back again. “Do people not tell you that?”

She looked at him. No, Jughead told her she was beautiful pretty often actually, and when he said it she really felt it.

“I’m… I think I… I’m sorry if I led you on,” The words spilled from her mouth before she even knew she was going to say them. But Reggie was just not the boy who she wanted to kiss anymore.

How had it taken her so long to figure that out?

He frowned, probably not following and not understanding what was wrong. Nothing should be wrong. They both liked each other and they were showing each other as much.

“I feel so stupid,” she said, covering her face. “I really am sorry,”

“You don’t need to say sorry, Betty… If you don’t like me, it’s okay,”

She pulled her hands away to look at him. “I do like you,” she said truthfully. He was a nice guy, but in truth there was just nothing between them. They didn’t have anything in common and they hardly had more to say to each other than mundane things.

“Then what is it? Someone else?”

Seemed Reggie was more perceptive than he led on.

She looked at him and nodded. How could she not realize it? She literally had to kiss another boy to know her own feelings. Her heart ached for Jughead. She literally just had this feeling like she needed to be close to him now, so he could tell her it was all okay.

“He’s a lucky guy,”

She closed her eyes, feeling that he was being nicer than she deserved. His tone indicated he was a little irritated, and probably just wanted to get back to the party now. 

“There’s not hard feelings, Betty,”

She nodded, thankful that he wasn’t being a jerk at least. 

“Thank you,” she said again, swallowing, a little relieved by how well this went. It could have gone much worse. 

Now she had the very real issue of liking a boy who she had told she was only using and had no real feelings for. God, how many times had she mentioned Reggie to Jughead, she wondered.

“Should we head back downstairs?”

She sighed, thinking it was a good idea.

“Think I could just have a minute?” she asked him.

Reggie nodded. She could tell he was a little disappointed, but she was sure a new girl would help him forget soon.

He left and she took a few deep breaths, fixing her hair and wiping her mouth. It felt wrong kissing someone else.

She pulled her phone out and looked at the text thread with Jughead, their last exchange over a couple of days ago. She realized it would probably be better to talk to him in person, but she wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. Maybe when she saw him the words would come.

Once downstairs, Betty grabbed herself a water, needing to calm down, as much as she could at least, in the middle of a pretty rowdy party.

She was afraid to look for Jughead. She had gotten a glance of him with Veronica in the parking lot and the two of them were probably together now. She was probably the last person on his mind while he was with the sexy and exciting new girl.

She didn’t want to ruin his night, so instead of looking for him, she found Kevin, trying to enjoy the party, and failing miserably.

Some time passed before she saw Veronica down a hallway, talking to one of the boys from the other team.

That was strange, she thought, pulling away from the group she was standing around with and making her way closer to where the two were. Veronica was meant to be with Jughead. Where was he?

Thankfully, as Betty approached she heard the boy saying he’d go get them some drinks, and Veronica looked over at Betty, the two making eye contact.

Veronica was nice. Betty had shown her around on her first day. But she knew the two could never be friends, they were too different.

Veronica smiled and Betty took it as an invitation to walk over.

“Hey, I thought you were here with Jughead,” she said, cursing herself when she realized how crazy she sounded. She hadn’t even asked Veronica how she was before getting to what she really wanted to know.

Veronica didn’t seem to mind. “He went home,”

“Oh,” Betty frowned, wondering why, worried something was wrong.

“I thought you were here with Reggie,” Veronica went on.

Betty shook her head. Biting her lip again, feeling silly for having kissed Reggie when it was so obvious now who she really wanted.

“He likes you Betty,” Veronica said, offering a smile.

Betty didn’t know what she meant. Was she talking about Reggie or Jughead?

“Jughead, I mean… He went home because he was upset you went upstairs with Reggie,”

Betty’s heart ached, wondering what it was Jughead thought of her now.

“I…” Betty didn’t know what to say. “I didn’t do anything with Reggie,” 

Veronica shrugged. “You should tell Jughead that. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear it.”

Feeling a sudden sense of anxiety to see Jughead right away, Betty thanked Veronica just as her new gentleman friend returned.

She ordered herself a ride, thankful there was one close by, then texted Kevin that she had left, all the while hoping she’d know what to say when she saw Jughead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I made Jughead's talk with Veronica kind of similar to this one, in a way. It was on purpose to show they are similar and feel bad for leading other people on.


	12. Chapter 12

Betty was so anxious to get to Jughead that she just assumed he went home, it was also what Veronica had said, so when she knocked on his door and his dad answered instead, she felt like she got all the wind knocked out of her.

“Mr. Jones,” she said, a little out of breath.

“Betty,” he smiled, although clearly a bit confused. “Sweetheart, what are you doing here?”

Her mouth fell open. She could hear the television and sensed there was no one else inside. He was probably just having a quiet night in.

“I’m sorry, I thought… I thought Jug would be home,”

Mr. Jones seemed worried then. “I thought you kids were at a party tonight?”

She stepped back and nodded. “Yeah, I ah, I left, I thought he went home,” she stumbled over her words. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jones,”

As she turned to leave, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “Wait, how’d you get here?”

“I got an Uber,”

He nodded. “Well come inside then. I’m not leaving you out here all alone on a cold night,”

She frowned and wondered if it was a good idea. She wasn’t sure she could contain her emotions in front of Jughead’s dad and she didn’t want him to know what was going on.

“I’ll make you some tea and call Jughead, tell him to come home,”

She considered her options. She could wait for another ride, she could call one of her parents (although she would have a lot to answer for) or she could text Jughead. All options left her out in the cold.

“Okay,” she agreed, stepping into the warm trailer home and accepting Mr. Jones’ invite to sit down on the now familiar couch.

He moved around in the kitchen, making her tea. She also heard him on the phone with Jughead.

She bit her lip again, realizing it was actually hurting from all the chewing she’d done to it in one night alone. Jughead was going to hate her for kissing Reggie. Or worse - what if he didn’t care at all?

“He’s on his way, sweetheart,” Mr. Jones said, putting the tea down on the small coffee table and taking a seat in the recliner.

“Thank you,” she tried to smile. “I’m sorry for just showing up like this,” Her mother would probably have her head if she knew.

“You’re always welcome here,” he told her. The television was still on but he didn’t seem focused on it. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and offered her best smile. He didn’t seem to believe her but he stopped asking, turning his attention back to the television.

Betty had this mixture of emotions in her stomach, worried about what the rest of the night would hold but also eager to tell Jughead how she really felt. She had no idea what she wanted to say to Jughead still, and yet she couldn’t wait to see him. She just wanted everything to go back to normal with him.

Well, maybe better than normal.

All she knew was that she wanted her best friend back and to tell him she didn’t want to pretend anymore. She wanted to keep experimenting with him, but this time not for any reason other than he was the one she wanted those things with.

Her heart stopped when the trailer door opened. She looked at him and he seemed a little out of breath, like he had rushed to get home. They were both quiet though, his dad taking the lead as he stood and told them it was past his bedtime.

She knew Jughead had problems with his dad, but she really liked him. He had demons but he was a good person.

“Thanks, Mr. Jones,” she told him.

He gave her a wink and clapped Jughead on the back, wishing them a goodnight as he disappeared to the back of the trailer.

Betty watched Jughead take his leather jacket off and come around to sit in his dad’s place instead of where he had sat before, with her on the couch.

“So,” he sighed, making Betty even more anxious, wondering what he’d say. “How was Ken Doll?” he asked, a coldness to his tone that made her feel so small.

That just broke her. She didn’t want to, but stupid fat tears began falling and she quickly covered her face so he wouldn’t see.

“Hey,” Jughead said more warmly then, shifting and coming to sit next to her. She felt his hand on her back, the other grabbing one of her forearms to pull her hands away from her face. “Did he do something to you?”

Betty quickly shook her head, not wanting him to think that. Reggie hadn’t done anything wrong.

.

After telling Veronica he was in love with Betty, Jughead went to Pop’s to think and eat his feelings away. The girl he loved was alone in a room with another guy, doing god knows what. It made him sick to his stomach.

He’d had plenty of chances to just tell her, but he’d been a coward, afraid of rejection. 

Veronica didn’t know the whole story. Jughead had promised Betty he’d never tell anyone about the deal they made, and he wasn’t about to break that vow. In Veronica’s eyes it was simple, all he had to do was tell Betty how he felt, and hope she felt the same way.

But it wasn’t that simple. Betty liked someone else.

When his dad called and told him Betty was at their home, he broke a few speeding laws and jogged up the trailer stairs.

Seeing her there was surreal for some reason. He hadn’t expected to see her. She was meant to be with Reggie, getting all she wanted.

He was jealous and being a jerk, but when she began crying, he put all his pride aside and went to her.

When he finally pulled her hands into his own and made her look at him, her green eyes were sadder than ever, all red and wet.

He swallowed, so afraid of what it was that had her so upset. “Betty…”

“I kissed him,” she sobbed, her eyes falling from his as she looked down.

It hurt to hear but he already knew that she must have. She had gone upstairs with him.

“Okay,” he said as gently as he could, trying to keep his own emotions in check. “That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”

He watched the strongest girl he knew try her hardest to calm down enough so she could talk, and then, she said the sweetest words he’d ever heard anyone say.

“I only want you, Jug,”

The way her eyes looked at him, pleading, made him wrap his arms around her tightly, tears pricking his own eyes as he closed them tight.

She cried more and he helped maneuver them so she was on his lap, holding onto each other for dear life.

“I only want you too, Betty,” he whispered into her hair. He never wanted to let her go.

But when she pulled back, her hands on his chest, he watched her in awe and wondered what could still possibly be wrong. They wanted only each other, it was out in the open now. They both felt the same and the only thing he regretted was not telling her as soon as he knew his true feelings.

“Aren’t you mad though?”

He frowned. What did he have to be mad about?

“I kissed him… like  _ kissed _ him,”

He smiled because she was cute. Sure, he didn’t like the idea of it but all that mattered was that she was here with him now.

“Well,” he began with a sigh, sitting back, his hands moving down to her naked thighs. “How else are you meant to know that I really am as good of a kisser as you think I am? Without having something else to compare it to, I mean,”

She laughed, bringing her hands up to wipe her face. 

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her down, eager to kiss her again after not having done so in a few days. His lips were soft against hers at first, licking some of the saltiness of her tears away, but then she melted into it and their kiss deepened, slow and unrushed.

“What am I going to do with you, Jughead Jones?” she whispered against his lips.

He smirked, his hands on her thighs again, moving up her dress and squeezing her lovely ass. She moaned, a purr inside her chest that he could feel against his own. “You could take me to the bedroom,” he suggested.

He was so happy to hear her giggle, so happy that all this unease he’d been feeling was over. The truth had finally set them both free, and all he wanted now was to wrap her up in his arms and never let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think we just have one chapter left and then we're done! Thank you guys so much for all your support throughout the story. I'm really excited to share my new story (Gentle Sins) with you guys, if you are interested. I will begin posting it some time after this one is done. It's a lot darker themed. There is a teaser of it up now on my Tumblr if anyone wants to check it out.


	13. Chapter 13

Betty felt a million times better now that she was with the only person who really mattered to her, more than anyone else.

As she pulled him down the hallway and into his room, she felt his slight hesitation.

He waited until he closed the door to speak. “We don’t need to do anything, you know,”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by his skirt. The only thing that made him sexier than he already was, was how considerate he was.

She pressed her body against his, pulling him down for more kisses. Now that all the anxiety had gone away she felt light and free to tell him exactly what she wanted.

“Betty,” he whispered against her lips.

She pushed her jacket off as she looked up at him. “I would think that after another guy kissed your girlfriend, you’d be all over me by now, proving you really are the better kisser.”

Something in his expression changed, to teasing and danger. She tried her hardest not to squeal as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her. “You’re such a tease,”

She moved her hands into his hair and just enjoyed their kiss until he sat her down on the edge of his bed and kneeled at her feet.

She bit her swollen lips, watching as he unzipped her little ankle boots and pulled them off.

Her heart was already doing summersaults, but when he reached his hands up her dress and began pulling her panties down, she felt like combasting. She lifted her hips to help him out.

“You want to see how good I am at kissing?” he asked, low and sexy and god, her answer was definitely  _ yes _ .

She smiled, wide and a little embarrassed. “You’re such a freak,”

He pushed her knees apart and moved in to kiss her lips once more. “Lay back and try not to make too much noise.”

She swallowed, kind of liking this dominante boy at her feet. She leaned back, on her elbows, wanting to still watch him as he sat back and began kissing her thighs.

It was nice, slightly ticklish, but in a good way.

He pulled her to the very edge of the bed, lifting her dress up to expose her to him. Yes, he had touched her before, but she’d never been this exposed.

“Doing okay, Cooper?” he asked, and she loved him for checking in.

She nodded, watching as he moved closer and began kissing her  _ there _ .

“Oh…”

She felt him chuckle and it was better still.

She finally laid back and relaxed, letting him lap her up, gentle and caring. It felt really nice and she was so wet. There was something empowering about having him in this position, knowing he was doing it to please her.

Knowing it was his first time, she remembered to give him a quick word of praise. “Feels so good,” she whispered, reaching her hands down to hold the back of his head, getting him in just the right spot and gasping in pleasure.

He got the hint, working her with more fever.

She did her best to remember to be quiet, biting her lip again. Everything Jughead had done to her had felt good, but this was definitely her favorite. Wow, she had no idea it would actually feel this good.

She was sure being honest with each other and feeling more free had something to do with it too.

She let go of his head and he gave her a few minutes as he kissed her thighs again gently.

She felt completely blissful, all warm and mushy as she continued to lay on his bed and watched as he stood up and began to take his clothes off.

It was too good not to watch, so she gathered what strength she had and pressed up on her elbows again, pulling her thighs together.

It was somewhat dark in the room, nothing but the outside lamps illuminating them. He was beautiful, undressed down to his boxer briefs.

“We could just cuddle if you want… Or I can do that again,”

Betty smiled, thinking he was ever the gentleman. She shook her head. No, tonight was the night. She was sure she was ready. Now that she knew she had picked the right guy.

“Do you have a condom?” she asked.

He answered by pulling one out of his nightstand.

He offered her his hand and she took it, standing so the two of them could get her out of her dress and then bra, leaving her completely naked, his hands roaming her back.

“You’re the most beautiful girl in the world,”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “And your the most beautiful boy,”

He laughed shortly.

“And the sweetest,” she added.

How had she gotten so lucky? 

Knowing them, she was sure they’d tell each other off again, on probably a thousand different occasions, but she looked forward to it, because that was them. Sweet and yet calling each other out on their bullshit when needed.

“You ready?” he asked.

.

He couldn’t believe this was happening. Everything had been so messed up not long ago and now they were exactly where he wanted them to be - together and in love.

He helped Betty onto his bed and marveled for a moment at the beauty.

“Come here,” she said softly, reaching her hand to him.

He smirked and got his briefs off, getting the condom out and rolling it on. He couldn’t believe this was actually going to happen, and with the girl of his dreams.

When he was ready, he joined her on the bed, her open arms inviting him in. He kissed her softly, taking things slow, before pulling back and helping her position her legs so that they’d both be comfortable.

He looked down, running the head through her warm, wet folds. She moaned ever so slightly, his focus turned back up at her. “Okay?”

She nodded, biting into her lip as both her hands came up to cup his face.

He gave her a smile. He was nervous, although he knew it must be nothing compared to her. “Tell me if it hurts,”

What a stupid thing to say, he thought to himself. Of course it would hurt.

“Just do it,” she whispered, moving her hands around to his back and tightening her thighs around him to get him closer.

Swallowing, he positioned himself and began to press, his every nerve ending redirected to where they were joined. She felt better than he could have ever imagined.

Focusing his attention back on her, he braced his hands beside her and pressed more of his body weight over her.

As he pushed deeper, Betty whimpered in pain, his lips on hers in a sign of affection.

When he was all the way in, her arms were so tight around him he wondered if she’d ever let go. He didn’t stop kissing her as he pulled back gently, setting back in before ending the kiss.

She smiled weakly up at him, a tear running down her temple. “Okay?”

She nodded. “It hurts, but it’s okay… Keep kissing me, okay?”

He gladly did, kissing her lips, chin and neck as he made slow, gentle love to her.

It felt amazing of course and although he was pretty sure he could come at any given second, he tried to hold off, knowing she needed time to adjust.

Reaching his hand between them, he tried stimulating her clit, smiling when she gasped lightly and arched her back into him.

“That feels good,” she whispered, her legs around him holding him close. “Don’t move,”

He smirked, buried deep inside her pulsing walls as he continued to rub circles around her tight bud. He watched, feeling the way her walls tightened and loosened slightly as she moaned through an orgasm.

When he was sure she had come, he thrust a few more times, slightly less slow and gentle, following in his own release and collapsing into her embrace.

Her arms were no longer tight around him, instead her finger tips trailing feather light lines up and down his back.

“That was amazing,” he managed to say into her neck and hair, using all the energy he had left to roll off of her so she could breath.

He watched as she smiled and turned to her side, so they were facing each other.

He returned her smile. “How do you feel?”

“Good,” she responded right away. “It hurt, but… I can’t wait to do it again… and again until it doesn’t,”

His smile turned into a grin. “I’m here for that,” he agreed.

She rolled her eyes but didn’t say more, moving closer into him until he got onto his back and she cuddled into his side. He could die a happy man right now.

He closed his eyes, more content than he had ever been, knowing he was probably going to doze off any second.

“I love you,” he heard her say into the calmness that had fallen upon them.

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too, Betty,” he replied, knowing that nothing else he ever said would be truer. He was going to love her forever.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all your love throughout this story. I turned out liking it a lot more than I expected and definitely had a lot more fans than I expected. I really am humbled by your kindness. Hope you liked the last chapter. 
> 
> Gentle Sins will probably be posted within the next couple of days. I hope you’ll give it a chance. It’s a lot darker than this one so I understand if it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s more on The Bet kind of level. As always feel free to message me if you’re curious but not sure 🙂
> 
> Thank you again!


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